design

The patent system was designed in order to encourage and foster innovation. Of late, however, it has had the opposite effect. Design patents, in particular, have become the focus of much debate in light of the tug of war between Samsung and Apple in the past years. Microsoft is, of course, a long time player in this game but it has recently come under the spotlight when it sued Corel last week for infringing on a few design patents, including a graphical slider user interface.

Lexus is working hard to forge a reputation for its art and automotive hybrid projects, first with a car featuring glow-in-the-dark paint that pulsated in rhythm with the driver's heartbeat, and then with a life-size exact replica of a sedan made entirely from cardboard. Oh, and don't forget their whole magnet-powered hoverboard thing. Now the Japanese carmaker is back with its new NX crossover, apparently trying to prove how "cool" it is by outfitting it with wheels and tires carved from actual blocks of ice.

Earthquakes can be scary, and we’re guessing this new bed concept can be, too. To keep you safe during an earthquake -- assuming you're snoozing when the event strikes -- the bed splits open horizontally, causing the mattress to fall in with the sleeper on top and their pillow and blankets if they're lucky. A mere few seconds later, the bed closes again, sealing the sleeper in a cocoon.

First class won’t be the same once a new luxury option goes into effect: seats in a clear dome on top of an airplane. Called SkyDeck, this new seating arrangement concept has been designed by Windspeed Technologies, an aerospace engineering firm; it features a clear glass dome with a pair of seats inside, giving passengers a 360-degree view of the open sky around them.

Encasing smartphones, and sometimes even tablets and laptops, aren't exactly new to our ears. They have, in fact, given rise to very artistic expressions as well as innovative extensions. But putting a shell around your router? Now that's something you don't hear every day. But if you are one of the few to get Google's and TP-LINK's new cylindrical OnHub router, then that might soon become a way of life. Google has just announced its similarly new concept to put a case around the router to make it more a part of your home than just some black box in the corner.

If you're an old-school Mario fan, or need the perfect Christmas gift for someone who is, look no further than this limited edition Super Mario Bros.watch from Romain Jerome. Only problem is, it's going to cost you a whopping $18,950. Ouch. Maybe it would better to just track down an old NES in working condition along with copy of the original Mario game.

HTC once admitted that it didn't have the massive marketing budget the likes of Samsung has at its disposal. So instead, they relied more on word of mouth, viral marketing, and the power of the crowd to get their message, and their products, across. Now they seem to be once again trying to harness that resource when it comes to quality testing and design feedback not just for new software but even for upcoming hardware by launching the new HTC Preview program for loyal fans to join.

Developers Sergey Komardenkov and Vihanga Gore have developed an interesting device dubbed Heat Harvest. The device is designed to be used by itself or integrated into other objects like your kitchen table. Heat Harvest captures wasted heat from objects and turns that heat into electricity that can be used for other needs.

Listen up Aliens fans, your chance to own the watch worn by Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley is coming soon. Japanese watchmaker Seiko has announced that it's making a limited re-release of the Giugiaro 7A28-7000. Originally sold in the early '80s, the timepiece was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Italian car designer, and while its looks fit in perfectly with futuristic sci-fi setting of Aliens, the watch wasn't produced just for the movie. Rather, it was the movie that made the existing watch a hot commodity.

It may be hard to believe, but Nissan's Juke crossover is already 5 years old. The car company honored the vehicle's anniversary by having a life-size origami replica made. Making a model car from folding paper may seem like an odd way to mark a birthday, but it's Nissan's way of signifying that in one way or another, all ideas start by being written or sketched on paper.

The HTC One A9, which the Taiwanese OEM just unveiled Tuesday, is technically an OK, if not great, Android smartphone. Sadly, all its strengths, and even its weaknesses, will be drowned out by its one glaring feature, or misfeature, depending on who you ask. To almost everyone except HTC, the One A9 looks too eerily similar to Apple's new design that debuted on the iPhone 6. Of course, HTC is denying that accusation by doing perhaps what it should not: calling Apple the actual copycat instead.

Following Lexus' Hoverboard concept, and the RC-F with glowing, heartbeat-projecting paint, the car maker's latest art/technology project involves cardboard. A lot of cardboard, in fact. Down to the last detail, Lexus has created an exact replica of its new IS sedan using 1,700 pieces of laser-cut cardboard. The model even goes so far as interior details like the seats, steering wheel, and dashboard. Oh, and did we mention that it actually works?